Dictionary

wistful en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈwɪstfəl/

Etymology

Presumably from *whistful, from whist (“silent”) + -ful, based on older wistly. It is implausible that it derives from wishful, the required sound change being wishful → *wisful → wistful, which could not occur in Modern English, particularly not with wishful continuing in use. However, the sense of “longing” appears to be influenced by wishful, making wistful an ambiguous poetic word.

Meanings

1. Full of longing or yearning.
   • Her grey eyes, looking out on the violet of the night sky, the trees, and the crowd of hilarious onlookers who had not been invited to Buckingham Palace, had a patient and wistful expression. 1909 September 9, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], “A Court Ball”, in The Squire’s Daughter, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, published 1919, →OCLC, page 1:
   • There are few sights that leave a railway lover more wistful than a desolate railway viaduct no longer carrying tracks. As with tunnels, so much effort was made to conquer the landscape, yet so many now stand forlorn. 2025 November 26, Tim Dunn, “Lost and found: historical assets”, in RAIL, number 1049, page 55:
   • His eyes grew wistful as he recalled his university days.
2. Sad and thoughtful.

Forms

Deriveds

wistfully · wistfulness · unwistful

Synonyms

atrabilious · dull · sullen · sombre · down in the dumps · down in the mouth · woe · dolesome · lachrymose · doleful · Plutonic · gloomy · wretched · blue · spiritless · lumpish · disconsolate · woebegone · triste · depressed · passionate · sorrow-ridden · unlively · chopfallen · mopey · tristful · grieving · woeful · lamentful · yearnful · lugubrious · disheartened · threnetical · crestfallen · cut up · saturnine · downsome · joyless · uncheerful · blitheless · Plutonian · despondent · low-spirited · melancholy · elegious · down · heartsore · threnetic · low · ruthful · unhappy · downcast · infelicitous · downhearted · dismal · mournful · elegiac · chapfallen · sorrowsome · morose · sorrowful · cheerless · miserable · forlorn · glum · heavy-hearted · grief-stricken · unconsolable · plaintive · wistful · sad · saddened · shattered · disgruntled · damp · dispirited · jawfallen · melancholic · uncheery · inconsolable · moody · atrabiliary · heartsick · despondent · bummed out · solemn · dejected · desirous · unhappy · querulous

Translations (68)

de sehnsuchtsvoll (full of longing) · fi haikea (full of longing) · uk сумний (sad and thoughtful) · nl melancholisch (full of longing) · pl pełen zadumy (sad and thoughtful) · no lengselsfull (full of longing) · fr nostalgique (full of longing) · gl morriñento (full of longing) · pl tęskny (full of longing) · fi kaihoisa (full of longing) · fi haikea (sad and thoughtful) · fi mietteliäs (sad and thoughtful) · bg тъжен (sad and thoughtful) · de melancholisch (sad and thoughtful) · sv längtansfull (full of longing) · gl saudoso (full of longing) · uk ностальгійний (full of longing) · sh setan (sad and thoughtful) · pt melancólico (full of longing) · de nostalgisch (full of longing) · es nostálgico (full of longing) · nb vemodig (sad and thoughtful) · bg меланхоличен (sad and thoughtful) · no vemodig (full of longing) · it nostalgico (full of longing) · gl morriñoso (full of longing) · pt nostálgico (full of longing) · ru заду́мчивый (sad and thoughtful) · pt saudoso (full of longing) · it malinconico (full of longing) · da længselsfuld (full of longing) · da vemodig (full of longing) · sv vemodig (sad and thoughtful) · sv melankolisk (sad and thoughtful) · ru печа́льный (sad and thoughtful) · is löngunarfullur (full of longing) · ru тоскли́вый (full of longing) · sh čeznutljiv (full of longing) · ru томя́щийся (full of longing) · mi kōhau (full of longing) · he מלנכולי (sad and thoughtful) · ru гру́стный (sad and thoughtful) · fa حسرتمند (full of longing) · sv vemodig (full of longing) · sh čežnjiv (full of longing) · fr mélancolique (full of longing) · de wehmütig (full of longing) · pdt bangrich (full of longing) · gl melancólico (full of longing) · de schwermütig (sad and thoughtful) · ko 애석(哀惜)해하는 (full of longing) · ru тоску́ющий (full of longing) · mi whēnako (full of longing) · is löngunarfullur (sad and thoughtful) · is angurvær (full of longing) · nl droefgeestig (full of longing) · sh sjetan (sad and thoughtful) · uk тужливий (full of longing) · pl smutny (sad and thoughtful) · he עגום (sad and thoughtful) · uk задумливий (sad and thoughtful) · he כמה (full of longing) · es melancólico (sad and thoughtful) · uk меланхолійний (sad and thoughtful) · bg копнеещ (full of longing) · mi whēnakonako (full of longing) · is angurvær (sad and thoughtful) · nl weemoedig (full of longing)